From Sunday 20 September 2026, passengers whose train is cancelled can use another train company’s service for free.

This means passengers will not have to wait at the station while train companies decide what to do. They will also not have to buy a new ticket.

What is the current situation?

When a train is cancelled, passengers can be left waiting at the station.

They may have to:

• Wait for train companies to agree that their ticket can be used.
• Run across the station to catch another train.
• Buy a new ticket.
• Give up on their journey.

This can mean people miss meetings, appointments, and time with family and friends.

What is changing?

From Sunday 20 September, things will be easier.

If your train is cancelled, you can get on another train run by a different company. You will not have to pay again.

You can use another train that leaves up to 2 hours before or 2 hours after your cancelled train.

You must have a valid ticket for your cancelled train. You can take a direct route or another reasonable route to finish your journey.

You do not need to get a new ticket.

When you get on the new train, show your original ticket to a member of staff. This shows that you have already paid for your journey.

Which new train companies are included?

Some train companies already let passengers use other operators’ trains when their train is cancelled.

From Sunday, four more companies will join the scheme:

• Avanti West Coast
• Chiltern Railways
• CrossCountry
• Great Western Railway

This means many more passengers will be able to use another train when their service is cancelled.

East Midlands Railway will join the scheme at a later date.

Who is taking part?

The train companies in the scheme are:

• c2c
• Gatwick Express
• Greater Anglia
• Great Northern
• LNER
• London Northwestern Railway
• Northern
• Southeastern
• Southern
• Thameslink
• South Western Railway
• TransPennine Express
• West Midlands Railway
• Avanti West Coast
• Chiltern Railways
• CrossCountry
• Great Western Railway

The changes are part of plans to make the railway simpler and easier to use. They also come before the creation of Great British Railways (GBR), which will bring the railways under stronger public control.